America's Tire Co
17 reviews
San Bruno, CA
"After my flat tire woes of last night, I decided to take my tire here to see if it could be fixed. Why? Because I've been riding past this…" read more »
13 Reviews for America's Tire Co
Service and prices are great. They will beat COSTCO. I normally pass on the extra price enahanced warranty, but thankfully I didnt. They are PHENOMENALLY great on honoring the warranty. Once, at night, I hit a rock on hwy 280 that had fallen off a truck. I hit it hard with one tire, but there was no leak and no cuts. Just to be safe I brought it in for a safety check. They dismounted it, inspected it, found internal damage and gave me a brand new replacement. Later I got a sidewall cut (no leaks) from ??. Again, brand new replacement even though the cut tire had 33,000 miles on it. They really know tires and can give you a lot of choices. EVERY tire place upsells, but I don't see nearly as much upselling here compared to other stores. If you want cheap they have cheap tires. If you want to spend more for better specs they have those too. They often fix flats free, even if you didnt buy the tire from them. That courtesy is what initially made me a customer. Why wait in long lines at COSTCO when you can get the same or lower prices here? It's a no brainer. If you can afford it, buy the extra warranty. It sure paid off for me. If they have a fantastic sale, you might consider buying an EXTRA set of tires. I wish I had. Ones that cost $58 on a big sale were up to $96 later. Don't know if there are shelf life issues with tires. They offer great after sale support even without the extra warranty. Rebalancing, rotation, pressure checks, its all done reasonably quickly with no hassles. They use torque limited wrench "sticks" to tighten lug nuts and they cross tighten them, which many places do not do. That attention to detail makes me a loyal customer.
The whole America's Tire Co chain pretty much defines "sleazy business". Their primary mission is to make as much money as possible, and they couldn't care less about their customers. I've even heard employees bragging about how they raked in almost $600k that month.
They will do what ever they can to extract as much money as possible from every customer. For example, they will try to push replacement tires when you don't need them. They will try to convince you to buy the tires that make them the largest profit, as opposed to the tires that are the best or most appropriate for your needs. Like a car dealership they will quote you prices that are way too high so that you are forced to negotiate to get a reasonable price. They will promise you things they won't deliver (eg. tell will you that if you're unhappy you can exchange for a different tire at no charge; try it sometime after they have your money!).
They also do incredibly poor work. Because their only interest is to maximize profit they have untrained employees doing 5 minute rush jobs. This means they will scratch your rims, improperly balance your tires, put on the wrong tires, give you mismatched tires (this actually happened to somebody I know), and over-tighten your lug nuts to the point of causing damage.
America's Tire Co is the tire store equivalent of a shady used car dealer. They are grossly incompetent and only interested in one thing: getting your money
I go here because I purchased my tires through the Napa Valley Shop.
I came to this location because it was the closest to me in San Francisco.
Just like the Napa Valley Location, these guys did not disappoint.
Every nice and told me 45 minutes. True to their word, it was done in 45 minutes.
OK, this has usually been a great place, and up until recently there was NO WAY you could beat their package price for a set of new tires installed and warrantied with free repairs, etc.
However, I did have a less-than-perfect experience there recently with an online appointment (admittedly, with only 2-day lead time...) where I showed up and the 2 tires weren't there yet. Same as a few other people here have experienced.
As a result I went Internet shopping and finally found 2 sources where the price plus the shipping and tax, plus installation at another shop, would be less than America's deal. Note, this was NOT easy, they beat almost everybody on the internet. Then America's guy called me about the appointment and ended up offering to match the price I found if I came back--which I did, it was a good deal and nice of them.Unfortunately it was a bad day for one of their techs and he mounted the (directional) wheels backwards. They fixed this for free, so no hard feelings.
I found that buying from onlinetires.com (LA area dealer, cheap ship up here, but +taxes) and getting them installed at the Goodyear place in San Carlos ($20/tire mount/balance last month) saved significant bucks. There was also a dealer in Georgia, treadepot.com, that was cheaper, even w. shipping. Note that any of these prices may well have changed by the time you read this, and that they applied to a specific tire, not in general.
Apparently they repair flat tires for free if you're a first time customer if one of their buddy towing companies refers you, but they'll try their damndest to upsell you on replacement first. The service staff is nice but tend to exaggerate the need for you to replace all of your tires and the prices are a little, um... loose.
The guy who rang me up said tires were really bald, but that wasn't really true since I had done the Lincoln's head penny trick recently and it wasn't like the wear indicators were showing. If it were a place with a lot of rain and snow, I'd agree that I urgently needed the replacements, but c'mon, it's California.
They said that they couldn't just patch the tire since the screw was in the sidewall. I dunno, I've had tires patched before, but I took their word for it and replaced all my tires since I have driven almost 50K on them and I prefer not to have different treads on my tires.
I was quoted something like $420 for Continentals with a 520 treadwear rating, an A traction rating and a B temperature rating. When I showed hesitation, they took down the price by $50. Which apparently was an in-store special for having all four tired changed, but gee, apparently they were ready to gyp me if I hadn't been reluctant.
The service was quick, but when they drove my car out the tires still had the remnants of the stickers on them. So much of the stickers were left that it actually made a papery sound when they drove them. Not very classy.
I think they're a good place to go if you know what you want and what price you want it for beforehand, but I was in there cuz of an unanticipated emergency and, being female, felt like I got ripped off a little even though the staff was nice.
People are nice, prices are reasonable, services are fast (at least they try to be as fast as they can), but the place is "sleazy" if you ask me.
I called to make an appointment to change tires for my car. I made an appointment for the next day since they promised the tires would be in by then. One of the main reasons I went with them was that all the other places couldn't get the tires in in a day. Guess what, I took an hour off from work, drove here, standing around looking at the guy running around, and here came the bad news: "The tires aren't here yet, please come back again tomorrow." I was NOT happy about it especially that one of my tires is actually splitting, I was desperate for new tires!!
Fine, I came back the next day. They got my tires this time, thank god. They asked me to pay first and the total was... $480. That wasn't how I was quoted on the phone! I asked them to show me the break down. Ah, they automatically charged me for their "certificates" on all 4 tires. I told them I don't need them, and the guy was like: "How about I just charge you $30 total for the certificates?" NO THANKS! I found it sleazy & unprofessional that they would automatically put their certificate charges on your bill without even asking for your permission. If I didn't even bother to ask, that's an easy $60 ($15 each tire) extra in their pocket. Even if you wanted the certificates, it looks like they could give you a better deal (the guy was willing to give them to me for 1/2 the price). So what's up with the automatic charges?
I might still come back for tires since they have quick services and good selections on tires with reasonable prices. But if you ever decided to go with this place for your tires, please make sure to check the break down on your bill before you pay anything. If you decide that you want their certificates, don't forget to bargain.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I did not have the same experience as Deli S.
They were friendly, accommodating, reasonably priced and most of all, efficient. I had an appointment for a Saturday morning. They told me 1 hour and after 30 minutes my car was ready.
I was turning my car back into the dealer so I didn't really care what tires were put on, just as long as it was quick and cheap. It was a great deal and great service! I had heard Costco is the place for tires - but these guys seem just as good to me. In fact, they have more choices than Costco.
I drive a semi-sports car and thus tires are expensive to replace. I purchased tires here on two occasions and it's the best price in the bay area. I'll order my tires by phone and make an appointment for the replacement and rotation. With all the bay area roads in such sad shape, it's worth your while to purchase insurance and get warranty on your tires.
It's literally in and out in less than an hour for two tires.
People were nice. Prices are fair. They got my car in/out when they promised, but a true disapointment is the hidden costs they have. They don't consider them hidden, because they say the name 'certificates' very quickly but you dont see the price until you sign for the credit card. Dirty.
It had been a long day already. It was close to 1pm, and I noticed that my front tire had a gash in it. Not a small gash, but a gash that made me jump back and say "Holy Guacamole!" I went to my computer at work and typed in the url: www.yelp.com, and did a search for "tires" near and around Redwood City, CA. I happened upon this place, and decided to give it a twirl. It was close, had 4.5 stars....I ain't a mechanic, so I was like, "why the heck not!"
And that my friends is where the luck ran out. I waited an hour and a half, ended up having to change all 4 tires (felt like I was donating a kidney in the process as I saw my bank account shrink), went to some Mexican place around the corner where I had a quesadilla that tasted like someones armpit...but, the service at the shop was nice, and it was sunny, and some poor bloke got pulled over outside of the shop, so in reality it wasn't that bad a day I guess
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
This is the hidden America's Tire Co... discovered it when I got a flat and wasn't thrilled about the prospect of driving to Mountain View, which has a busier shop.
The wait here is shorter (they were actually able to take my car right away) and you can wander around to Grocery Outlet and buy yourself all sorts of unnecessary bath goodies while your car is being restored to its normal self.
I had to wait to write this review for the bitterness to pass regarding unexpectedly having to buy $600 worth of tires...but now that the time has passed I must take a moment to thank America's Tire Co. for their fantastic service and concern for my safety (and perhaps their pockets but I prefer a less cynical view point).
The story starts with a drive down 101 to go watch Zodiac. There we were cruising along at 70 mph when I suddenly see a rock in the middle of the freeway. I did what I could to swerve around it but... "SMACK" "BANG" "RATATATATATA" ...I suddenly found myself with a flat tire.
Half a day and a spare tire later I found myself at America's Tire Co. I was greeted warmly by the service team and they inspected all of my tires. They reluctantly informed me that not just my blown tire needed replacement, but for my safety the other damaged tire with a bulge should also be replaced. So I chose to replace all 4 tires, and although it ended up being pricier than I would have liked due to a requirement of "high performance tires" on my car, I drove off into the sunset happy.
...Oh yes....and I also get free tire rotations and replacements if a tire blows or needs to be repaired before its expected lifetime is up.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
I live in San Francisco but I drive all the way to Redwood City on my spare tire if I need to. America's Tire Company is a nationwide chain but don't let that scare you away (yes, I'm talking to you, San Francisco). I've shopped around and they have by far the best ongoing support for your tires. You won't find cheaper tires anywhere, and beyond that, lifetime tire rotation and balancing is included, and it's actually free, unlike some other tire places. So is the "tire hazard" (a.k.a. flat tire) repair, which I've unfortunately had to use twice myself. One time the whole tire split open for some reason, and they couldn't repair it, so they just gave me a new tire. Again, it's actually free. Beware of some places that charge you little things here and there for their "free" tire services.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Hot and New
- El Camino Mongolian BBQ
88 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- DishDash
321 reviews
Sunnyvale, CA
- Filoli
73 reviews
Woodside, CA
- Sweet Breams
74 reviews
San Mateo, CA
- Amber India
246 reviews
Mountain View, CA
